It was colder in Vail...

Morning Star

I stepped out onto the deck from our apartment. It was cold. It was dark. It was windy. If there was any solace to the situation, it was the fact that when I looked up I could see so many stars so clearly through the patchwork of clouds. I walked the trash down the outdoor steps and felt the chill air caressing my skin. The air itself seemed to goad my constitution to walk back up the steps and climb into the warmth and comfort of my bed.

Only for a second. It was colder in Vail.

I walked a block down the street to my normal start point – the corner of 17^th St and 14^th Ave. There wasn’t a lot of traffic, though there’s never a lot of traffic here at 5:45 in the morning. The first mile is always the hardest. My muscles had only just awakened from their rest. My bones ache in the morning cool. My hands were pained as the cold wind steals my pleasure of running in the morning.

But it was only the first mile, and I know that every progressive mile would open up the doors of my endorphin centers. I knew that I will soon be on a runner’s high and that there wouldn’t be as much pain…not until I stretched at the end.

I ran. I avoided the early morning drivers who liked to run red lights. I ran around the bumpers of those who liked to test the cross walks with their bumpers. I glared at the drivers who didn’t understand why a man would run in 47 degree weather – those same drivers who refused to share the road. I ran.

Today’s Loop: 3.53 Mi Time: 34:03 / 6.22 mph Prescribed distance for 10k Training: 3 Mi Time: / 31:30 / 6.1 mph

New Equipment I’ve been running with La’s Nokia Cell phone. It doesn’t set well in a pocket [when I have a pocket] during a run. Further, she has told me that she’s a bit tired of having a sweaty cell phone. I received a Timex Ironman Watch a few years ago as a Christmas present. The more I read, the more I was convinced that it wasn’t worth the price it would cost to replace the battery. You can see [or purchase] my new watch here.

It’s called the Timex Marathon. There’s nothing particularly fancy about it – it’s lightweight and it tells / records time. My particular model is red and has a plastic strap [the Ironman had a cloth strap that smells putrid now].

I like my new fancy pants watch.

Speaking of Pants…

Re: How to induce a BM. You must be thinking both preemptively and causally. The preemptive portion is in regard to what you eat. When I plan on running, I try not to eat too many foods that are greasy or “heavy” the night before. Simple proteins, grains, and vegetables seem to do the trick [especially w/out preservatives]. A good beer helps too.

Causally, I usually plan to wake up 15-20 minutes before my planned run. I’ll take a quality read or an inspiring running magazine with me. Now, pushing can hurt more than it helps. In fact, I’ve learned [not from personal experience] that pushing too hard can actually cause a bulging disc in your spinal column. I don’t want that, and I doubt that you do either.

You may want to set the mood. I’ve learned that tranquility is the key. I take reading material because you kind of want to take your mind off of…things. Stage fright is a common occurrence and the need to perform can be a real drain on the task at hand. I’m not saying take deep breaths, but you may want to light a few candles or bring in something to occupy your mind more fully.

Look at it all like a tractor trailer. You can run a lot faster when you're not carrying a load. Furthermore, running itself tends to shake things loose. If you want me to go anymore in depth, then e-mail me.

That’s a lot, and it is all I have for tonight. Tomorrow is a 7 miler and I’m pretty excited about it.